Rome Fringe Festival – since 2011 a most awaited event every Summer – is just around the corner. From May 29 to July 5 the gardens of Castel Sant’Angelo will be livened up more than ever by this festival entirely dedicated to independent theatre & performative arts.
Every day from 9am to 2 in the night the whole area will be popping with an explosion of non-stop shows, art exhbits, day & night markets, refreshment areas, wine & food tasting, workshops and kids activities. All is free but the shows, which €5 ticket will be paid directly to the given performing company. A considerable variety of performances are scheduled indeed, involving involving song theatre, comedy, drama, social theatre, dance, stand up, street art, clowning, puppet, poetry, literature.
The festival definitely has an international appeal: a number of foreign artists play their role in it.
The daily programme will follow this sketch:

from 9am to 4.30pm: market, summer camp for children by Arteficine, free events and gastronomy

from 6pm to 8.30pm: aperitif, concerts, food tasting and market

from 8.30pm onwards nine shows of any sort descrive above

From Yes Hotel, to go and enjoy the breeze nearby the Tiber river, at Castel Sant’Angelo gardens, you just need to catch bus #40 express or metro line A and get off at Lepanto!

A majestic cultural event will be running in the Eternal City until July 26th: Baroque in Rome a “multi-venue” exhibition which traces rise and peaks of the art movement which still marks so neatly the Roman skyline.
The event counts in fact on several venues all over the city center, each of them offering its own contribution to give vistors an idea of what Baroque age meant to Rome.
Below the complete lists of places:

Museum of Rome (Palazzo Braschi): exhibition; “baroque parties”

St. Yves at the Sapienza: thematic tour; exhibition

Oratorio dei Filippini: thematic tour

Palazzo Colonna: guided tour

Palazzo di Propaganda Fide: thematic tour

Vatican Museums, Apostolic Palace and St. Peter’s basilica: a special itinerary about Bernini & the Vatican

Doria Pamphilj Gallery: thematic tour

Capitoline Museums: itinerary across the baroque masterpieces in the

National Gallery of Ancient Art (Palazzo Barberini): itinerary

Academy of Fine Arts: conference

Castel Sant’Angelo: thematic exhibition on the baroque fireworks

Fondazione Roma Museo – Palazzo Sciarra: conferences

Not just painting masterpieces will be on display, as conferences, concerts, workshops for both kids and adults, thematic tours and many more satellite events will be part of Baroque in Rome. For more details don’t hesitate to ask our staff at Yes Hotel!

Last week a special event was celebrated in the Vatican: the Swiss Guard’s birthday. This corp is in charge for the Pope’s safetysince 1506: given the great political instability the then Pope Julius II decided to recruit soldiers from Switzerland, which at that time was home to the most well trained men at arms, to such an extent that all European kings used to hire them for their own protection. Guided by Captain Kaspar of Silenen, the first Swiss garrison of the Pope officially entered the Vatican on 22 January 1506. They gave proof of their trustworthyness very soon: when Rome was assaulted and ravaged in 1527, the Swiss Guards defended the Pope at the cost of their lives: out of 189 soldiers only 42 survived, basically just those who had taken the Pope to his fortress in Castel Sant’Angelo (a fascinating monument today open to visitors).
The Swiss Guard uniform is actually quite recent: its current shape and colors date back just to 1914, when the new design was created following some drawings byRaffaello.Yes Hotel is well connected to the Vatican City by metro: catch line A (at just 5 minutes walking from us) and get off at Ottaviano!

One of the must visit places in Rome that combines nature, pleasure, history and physical excercise. You can spent a lot of hours walking, drinking coffee etc. You can ride your bike and enjoy! The Villa is a great place to cycle around and the cafe’s are definitely worth stopping at while taking in the scenery. It’d also be a great place for a picnic, however, there’s not a whole lot else to keep you entertained. It’s only a short walk from the Spagna metro station and the Spanish Steps though so it’s definitely worth stopping at if you’re in the area.

The lake is circled by the walking path “Viale del Lago,” but you won’t be able to miss the centerpiece – “Temple of Asclepius.” Asclepius was the Greek god of medicine and healing – exactly what your legs will need after all this time exploring Rome & Italy!

From Piazza del Popolo ­- The wide open Piazza is very popular with Romans as well as tourists, for its beautiful statuary and Egyptian obelisk. To the east of the Piazza is the massive Borghese Gardens, a quiet green spot among the big city hustle and bustle. This park is great for strolling, jogging, etc, and I believe you can rent a bicycle to ride around on. On the east side of the park is the most excellent Villa Borghese, a prime site to view art, especially, in my opinion, sculpture. There is no lack of magnificent art in Rome, but don’t miss this place.

During this season in rome there will be concerts held in front of the beautiful Castel Sant’Angelo. The event is hosted by the Methodist church of Ponte Sant’Angelo.

It runs until the 16th of October every Friday and Saturday at 7 and every Sunday at 9. It includes concerts for solo piano, for duo, trio or quartet with violin, cello, flute, clarinet, harp and of course singers.You will truly be impressed and entranced by the masterful melodies in this intimate environment. Go here to check the full program. To get there from Yes Hotel just take the bus 40 from Termini for 6 stops and get off at “Ponte Vittorio Emanuele”.

They even offer a glass of tuscan white wine after every performance, so everything is set for a perfect romantic evening. Hope you enjoy!

You can get to the perfect Holiday spirit also in Rome ! Have you always wanted to slide gracefully over the ice without falling? This unfortunately takes lot of practice and won’t happen over night. You don’t have to be a professional to go with the flow and enjoy an unusual kind of fun also here in Rome!

One inside ice skating ring is already open and the outside ones will be opened by mid December. And they will be open until February or March. The outside ice skating rings you will find close to the city center, by Castel Sant’Angelo at Piazza Adriana is “Grizing Village” open everyday from 10 until 24, “Sottozero” near the Auditorium Parco della Musica, open mon-fri from 14 until 21, sat from 10 until 24 and sun from 10 until 21 and “Ice Park” at piazza Re di Roma open mon-fri from 14 until 24 and sat-sun from 10 until 24.

All of these places they rent the skates as well. The inside skating ring “Iceland” is located at EUR, easily reached by metro B. Opening hours and other details can be checked at www.iceland90.com/orari.php but during the weekdays the ring is open for the public in the evenings and sat-sun for the whole day.!

Well, what are you waiting for? Now there will be nothing missing on you perfect Christmas and New Year vacation in Rome! If you are wondering about accomodation, check the websites of Yes Hotel and Hotel Des Artistes, or drop us a line at info@hoteldesartistes.com and info@yeshotelrome.com. We’ll be more than happy to give you our best offer, either for our accomodation-only options or for our special packages for this season.